Self-propelled vehicle.



' No. 570,972. Patented Apr. 2, lam.

m. M. SMITH.

SELF PROPELL'ED VEHICLE.

(Application tiled Oct. 30. 19004) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet I No. 670,972. Patenten Apr. 2, mol.

M. M. smrH.

' SELF PRUPELLED VEHICLE.

(Application tiled Oct. 30. 1900. l (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Patented Apr. 2, |901.

M. M. SMITH.

SELF PRDPELLED VEHICLE.

(Application led Oct. 30, l900. (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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. Mo. 670,972. Patented Apr. 2, lsol.

M. M. SMITH.

SELF PROPELLED VEHICLE.

(Application led Oct. 30, 1900. V (No Model.) l 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

No. 670,972. Patented Apr. 2, I90l.

M. M. SMITH. W SELF PRDPELLED VEHICLE.

(Application mea oct. 3o. 1900.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

Ing/Efo@ r FFKCE@ hlAXl/VELL MABERLY SMITH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SELF-PROPELLE-D VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,972, dated April 2, 1901.

application filed October 30, 1900. Serial No. 34,941. (No model.)

To /r/ZZ v7/tom, mja/y concern:

Be it known that I, MAXWELL MABERLY SMITH, a subject of the Queen of England, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Self Propelled Vehicles, (for which application has been made in Great Britain under No. 6,363, dated April 5, 1900,) of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to self-propelled vehicles, and has particular reference to the general design oi' the vehicle and to one or two parts of the mechanism, including the lriving-gear.

The vehicle is built upon a central trunk or girder, and the seats are arranged above this girder in such a manner that the passengers sit on opposite sides of the girder, but facing the central line of the vehicle, and consequently toward each other. A portion of each of the side walls of the vehicle is broken awayin the front of each seat to give access to the seat.

The vehicle is provided with two drivingwheels arranged one on each side of Vthe vehicle approximately midway of its length, and a steering-wheel is arranged fore and aft of the vehicle, mechanism being provided by which the two wheels are steered together. Each steering-Wheel is mounted upon one eX- tremity of a road-wheel axle, the road-wheel axle being provided approximately midway of its length with a pivot-pin, by means of which it is secured to the vehicle. A spring is preferably interposed between the axle and the vehicle. That end of the axle remote from that upon which the wheel is mounted is connected to the body of the vehicle by a supporting-link.

The driving mechanism is arranged within the central trunk or girder, which comprises two longitudinal members placed at a convenient distance apart and braced together by suitable end pieces, so that a hollow trunk or box is formed, within which the driving mechanism is arranged.

This invention has, further, reference to a device for varying the moment of ignition when the driving-belt is shifted from the driving-pulley to a loose pulley, or vice versa, and a device is also provided by which the moment of ignition may be varied independently of the operation of the belt.

ln the accompauyingdrawings, which illustrate one method of carrying out this invention, Figure l is a perspective vie-W of the complete vehicle. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with the seats removed. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the vehicle with part oi' the body broken away to expose the driving mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the application to the car of a modified form of steering mechanism.

Like letters indicate like partsthroughout the drawings.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, the vehicle is built upon a central trunk or girder comprising two longitudinal members A and A', placed parallel to each other ata convenient distance apart and secured together by end pieces A2. Upon this central trunk are mounted the seats of the vehicle, (in this case two in number,) the front edge of the one seat being placed level with the member A, while the front edge of the other seat is placed level with the member A. The main portion of each seat thus rests on opposite sides of the central trunk or girder. The walls Bof the vehicle-body are supported by any convenient means from the central trunk and the sides Walls are broken away at B/ to give access to the seats. The seats are separated by a transverse central wall B2, which serves to strengthen the side walls.

The vehicle is provided with two drivingwheels C, arranged one each side of the vehicle-body at a point about midway of its length. The wheels C are connected together by a driving-axle C', suspended from the vehicle-body by springs C2, which may be placed either outside the wheels, as shown, or between the wheels and the body. At each end of the vehicle is a steering-wheel C3, carried at one extremity of an axle C4. The axle C4 is in each case secured to the vehicle by a vertical pin C5, arranged approximately inidway of the length of the axle, a bow-spring C being interposed between the pin and the axle. The pin C5 is carried in a socket C7, secured to one end of one of the longitudinal members A A, forming the central trunk or girder, and is free to pivot within this socket. The members A A, although of the same length, are arranged the one slightly in advance of the other, so that thev end of the member A projects beyond the vehicle-body at one end of the vehicle, while the member A' projects in a similar manner at the other end of the vehicle, and to these projecting ends the sockets G2 are secured. that end of theaxle C4 remote from the wheel C3, a strap C8 is provided, by which it is secured to the vehicle-body, and thus prevented from being depressed 'by the weight of the vehicle. In order that both steering-wheels may be operated simultaneously, they are connected by a rod C9, which is operatively connected to a steering-handle C10.

The motor D, which may be conveniently mounted at one end of the vehicle, drives, by means of its pulley D and belt D2, a countershaft E. The counter-shaft E is mountedin the upper ends of a bifurcated bracket F, Figs. 3 and 4, the lower end of which is supported by the road-wheel axle C'. The aXle C is free to revolve with the lower end vof the bracket F and carries two chain-wheels G G, respectively. Fast upon the counter-shaft E and in a central position upon the same is mounted a pulley H, and on each side of the pulley H and free upon the shaftE are mounted pulleys H H2. 'lhe pulley H carries fast upon it a sprocket-wheel H2, geared by means of a chain to the chain-wheel G upon the driving-shaft C', and the pulley H2 has similarly mounted upon it a sprocket H4, geared by a chain to the chain-wheel G on the driving-shaft C. The pulley D on the motor-shaft is relatively broad, so that thebelt D2 may be shifted onto either of the pulleys H H' H2 without becoming disengaged from the pulley D. In order that the belt or chains may be conveniently tightened, the upper ends of the bifnrcated bracket F are provided with adjustable devices F', similar to the chain adjustment for a bicycle, so that the counter-shaft E may be moved nearer to or farther from the driving-shaft C.

` Owing to the angle at which the bracket F is placed relatively to the driving-belt D2 and chains connecting the sprockets H2 H1 with the chain-wheels G', there is very little tendency for the free end of the bracket to rise or fall,but should there be any tendency to move in either direction it is immediately checked by the longitudinal members A A, through the sides of which t-he ends of the countershaft E project.

'lo shift the belt D2 from one pulley to the other, a handle J is provided, which is pivoted at J', Fig. 4, to any convenient part of the vehicle and carries a bifurcated lever J2, which engages a pin J3, secured to a beltshifter J4. The belt-shifter J'l slides upon a guide J5, transverselyarranged between the members A A of the central trunk or girder, so that when the handle J is turned in one To supporty direction the belt-shifter J4 will move the belt D2 onto one of the ont-side pulleys,while when moved in the opposite direction the belt will be moved onto the other outside pulley, and when in a central position will 'rest on the central pulley. A

To start the motor, a hand wheel M is mounted upon the side of the longitudinal member A and is geared, by means of a sprocket-wheel M' and chain H2,to a sprocketwheel M2, which gears through the medium of any well-known form of clutch with the counter-shaft E. When it is desired to start the vehicle, a belt D2 is placed upon the pulley H and the hand-wheel M revolved. Motion imparted by the hand-wheel M to the countershaft Eis thus transmitted, by means of a pulley H and belt D2, to the motor. When the motorhas gained sufficient speed, it overruns the clutch of the starting mechanism in the well-known manner. lt is then only necessary to operate the changespeed handle J with its fork J2, so as to bring the belt D2 upon either the pulley H or H2, and the vehicle will be immediately set in motion.

The carbureter N is conveniently arranged at the opposite end of the vehicle to that upon which the motor is mounted, and levers O are provided for controlling the admission of air or oil to the cylinder or for opening the compression-tap in the well-known manner.

By arranging the steering-wheels one upon the longitudinal member A and the other upon the longitudinal member A' and by mounting one wheel upon the right-hand end of its axle and the other upon the left handend of its axle the steering-wheels are made to run upon lines on opposite sides of the central line of the vehicle and which lie between the driving-wheels.

The arrangement of the central truuk or girder enables this form of vehicle to be readily tted with apparatus for electric motive power in the place of oil, as the trunk will be capable of containing a considerable number of accumulators.

It will be understood that the motor may be placed in any convenient position upon the vehicle, such as underneath it or at one side of the central frame, though the driving mechanism is preferably mounted between two longitudinal members A A, as described.

The spaces between the members A A may, if desired, be covered in beneath the seats with hinged or removable covers, such as indicated at N', Fig. t.

The side supporting-springs C2 of the car are shown in Fig. 5 as arranged within the driving-wheels C, and mounted upon these springs are blocks or bearings P, adapted to support the jonrnaled ends of a shaft P'. The shaft P' is provided with an arm P2, pivoted to a connecting-rod P3, the free end of which is secured to an arm l, carried at the lower end of the Vertical shaft to which the steering-handle C10 is attached. The shaft IOO IIO

IZO

P is also provided with arms P5 P, respectively arranged one at cach end of the shaft. The arm P5 is connected by a rod PT to the free end of the rear steering-axle C", and the arm P6 is similarly connected by a rod PS to the free end of the forward steering-axle of' the vehicle. The operation of this steering mechanism is obvious. When the steeringhandle Cois moved either to the right or left, the free end of the arm P4, secured at the base of the vertical shaft carrying the steering-handle, will be moved through an arc, carrying with it the rod P3. The rod P3, acting through the medium of the arm P2, will partially revolve the shaft P, thus moving the rods P7 PS in a forward or rearward direction and so simultaneously operating the forward and rear steering-axles.

It should be noted that the steering-wheels being arranged on opposite sides of the central girder A A permit the wheel-base of the vehicle to be shorter than would otherwise be the case, as each wheel can be placed beneath one of the seats of the vehicle, and by placing them thus beneath the seats a larger sized Wheel can be used than would be the case if they had to be mounted beneath th Vfootboard of the vehicle.

It will be understood that although a hollow gil-der comprising the members A A A2 has been described a solid girder may be used, if preferred, the driving mechanism being conveniently mounted upon its sides.

It is obvious that in place of the straps C8, supporting one end of the steeringwheel axles, any other suitable device may be used for the same purpose, such as the quadrant commonly used in the old type of quadricycles.

Although the wheels C, mounted upon the driving-axle C', have been described above as driving-wheels, it will be understood that if both ot' these wheels are drivingwheels differential gear may be employed between the driving gear-wheels G G and the shaft C in the well-known manner. Otherwise one wheel only is used to drive the vehicle, the other being either free upon the shaft C' or free upon a stationary shaft, over which a driving-shaft for one of the Wheels may be mounted in the form of a sleeve.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a self-propelled vehicle the combination of a central longitudinal girder, a vehiclebody built thereon, road-wheels upon a transverse driving-axle, driving-gear, a motor, a steering-wheel mounted at the forward end of the girder, a steering-wheel at the rear end of the girder and means for controlling these wheels simultaneously substantially as set t'orth.

2. In a self-propelle(il vehicle the combina tion of a central longitudinal girder, a vehicle-body huilt thereon, road-wheels upon a transverse driving-axle, a steering-wheel at the forward end of the girder, a steeringwheel at the rear end of the girder, each of the .steering and driving wheels positioned so as to run in a separate track, driving-gear, a motor and mech auisul for controlling the steering-wheels substantially as set forth.

3. In a self-propelled vehicle the combination of a central longitudinal girder, a vehicleehody built thereon, seats in this vehicle-body disposed on either side of the central girder, ro.td\\'heels, two of which are mounted upon a transverse driving axle, springs interposed between the vehicle-body and the roadwheel axles, driving-gear and a motor substantially as set forth.

4. In a self-propelled vehicle the combination of a central longitudinal girder, a vehicle-body built thereon, road-wheels, two of which are mounted upon a transverse driving-axle, driving-gear, a bifurcated member connected to the driving-axle and to the drive ing-gear, and a motor substantially as set forth.

5. In a self-propelled vehicle the combination of longitudinal members and distancepieces connecting these members, the whole forming a central longitudinal girder, a vehicle-body built upon this girder, a transverse driving-axle, road-wheels mounted thereon, driving-gear, a motor, a steering road-Wheel mounted at the leading end of the girder, a steering road-wheel mounted at the rear end of the girder and means for simultaneously controlling these steering-wheels substantially as set forth.

6. In a self-propelled vehicle the combination of longitudinal members, distance-pieces connecting these members, the whole forming a central longitudinal girder, a vehicle-body built upon this girder, a transverse drivingaxle, road-wheels mounted upon this axle, driving-gear, a motor, a socket mounted at the leading end of the central girder, a second socket mounted at the rear end of the girder, an axle pivoted to each socket at a point approximately midway of the length of the axle, a road-wheel mounted at one end of one such axle, a road-wheel mounted at one end of the other such axle, each road-wheel of the vehicle being arranged to run in a track separate from the other wheels substantially as set forth.

7. In a self-propelled vehicle the combination ot longitudinal mem bers, distance-pieces connecting these members the whole forming a central longitudinal girder, a vehicle-body built upon this girder, a transverse drivingaxle, road-wheels mounted upon this axle, drivinggear, a motor, a socket mounted at the leading end oi the central girder, a second socket mounted at the rear end of the girder, an axle pivoted to each socket at a point ap proximately midway of the length of the axle, a steering road-wheel mounted at one end of one such axle, a second steering road-Wheel mounted at one end of the other such axle, each road-wheel oi the vehicle being arranged IIO Igo

to run in a track separate from the other name to this specification in the presence of wheels, a link connecting the free end of the two subscribing witnesses.

axle of each steel'inT road-.Wheel to the Vehicle-body and meansofor simultaneously con* MAXWELL MABERLY SMITH' 5 trolling these steering road-Wheels, substau- Witnesses:

tially as set forth. ALFRED J. BOULT,

1n testimony whereof I have signed my HARRY B. BRIDGE. 

